1. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE OF COMMERCE (AUTONOMOUS)

END SEMESTER EXAMINATION – APRIL 2014

M.COM – II SEMESTER

MARKETING STRATEGIES AND PLANNING

 

Duration: 3Hrs.                                                                                       Max. Marks: 100

Section – A

1. Answer any SEVEN questions. Each question carries 5 marks.         (7×5=35)
2. Explain the concepts / the characteristics of industrial demand.
3. Discuss the system followed by the government customers while purchasing goods and services.
4. Briefly explain the scope of business marketing research.
5. How are industrial products and services classified?
6. Using a diagram, explain the BCG Matrix and its applications.
7. Explain the purpose of negotiating with business customers and the styles of negotiation.
8. What is PLC? Explain its purpose and the stages involved in it.
9. What are the functions of business marketing intermediaries?
10. Explain the meaning and scope of logistics in business marketing.
11. What is e-Commerce? What are its classifications?

Section – B

1. Answer any three Each carries 15 marks. (3×15=45)
2. Discuss how business market is different from consumer market, based on major characteristics.
3. Explain the Webster and Wind Model of organisational buying behaviour.
4. What is market segmentation strategy? Explain the sequential segmentation process and the variables (or bases) used for segmenting business markets.
5. Why is new product development considered as a growth strategy? Discuss the steps in new product development process, in B2B context.
6. Explain the factors influencing pricing decision for business markets.

Section – C

• Case Study – Compulsory question.     (20 marks)

16. Deciding Business Strategy

Sunil Shetty, Director, KK Autotech Pvt. Ltd., was not sure what kind of competitive strategy the company should adopt in the face of growing competition. The company was one of the leading manufacturers of service station equipments for two- wheeler service stations in southern region of India. KK  Autotech started its operations in 2002 in Bangalore and by 2012, it had become a dominant player in southern India.

The company adopted a focus strategy, by concentrating on superior quality of the equipment to the geographic segment of the four southern states of India – viz. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

Sunil Shetty discussed with the other two directors to invest in the new three-wheeler service station equipment and to launch the product in the market by end 2013. The company had the advantage that the new equipment would be needed by the existing two-wheeler service stations. This would minimise the cost of launching the new product.

The major players in the three-wheelers market were Bajaj Auto (65 per cent market share) and Mahindra & Mahindra (17 per cent share). However, TVS and Hero Honda were also planning to launch their three-wheeler commercial vehicles in 2013.

KK Autotech did not find it necessary to have a marketing department. The company did not have any promotional strategy. The directors thought the company could not afford the marketing expenditure. The relationships with the existing customers were built by their service engineers. Sunil Shetty felt there was no need to develop new customers, since the existing customers were giving adequate business.

However, in the three-wheeler service station equipment there was already a dominant competitor and also there was a possibility of new players from other parts of India entering the southern regional market. Therefore, the question uppermost in the minds of Sunil Shetty and the other two directors was what kind of competitive strategy the company should now adopt in the changing marketing environment?

Questions:

1. Explain the major issues involved in this case.
2. Do you agree to the company’s existing business strategy? Justify your answer.
3. Should the company continue with the existing strategy or not? Give reasons.
4. Assuming the company should change its strategy to meet growing competition, what strategy do you suggest and why?

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Answer Key – Marketing Strategies and Planning.  MCom – II Sem ESE

Section A

1. Derived demand- fluctuating demand – joint demand – cross elasticity of demand – reverse elasticity of demand – Bull whip effect.
2. Registration of suppliers. Competitive bidding – closed/sealed tenders, open tenders, reverse bidding, Govt contracts.
3. Development of market potential, market share analysis, sales analysis, forecasting, competition analysis, bench marking, new product acceptance and potential, business trend studies, sales quota determination.
4. Materials and parts, capital items, supplies and services.To explain each.
5. Boston consulting groups model. Products or businesses classified into one of four cells named stars, cash cows, question marks and dogs according to market growth and a products relative market share. To explain each.

              

6. A process that tries to maximise benefits to both buyer and seller and takes a long term view of their relationship. Focuses on customer satisfaction through interactions. Styles: I win, you lose, Both of us win (win-win), you win I lose, both of us lose.
7. Product life cycle is a concept to trace the sales and profit of a product through time. Purpose to understand in which stage a product is and evolve suitable marketing strategies. Stages: Introduction, growth, maturity, decline. Explain each.

 

8. Buying, promotion and selling, assorting, financing, warehousing, grading, transportation, information, risk taking, technical service.
9. Logistics refers to the design and management of all activities (mainly transportation, warehousing, and inventory control) necessary to make materials available for manufacturing and to make finished goods/products available to customers as needed and in condition required. Scope: Inventory management and control, customer service, transportation, warehousing, plant and warehouse locations, order processing, logistics communications, packaging, and material handling.
10. Modern business methodology that addresses needs of organisations and customers to cut costs, improve quality of goods and services, and increase the speed of service. Process of using digital technology for transmitting information between organisations. Buying and selling of products and services via computer networks. Classifications: B to B, B to C, C to C, Collaborative eCommerce, intra organisational commerce, mobile commerce, e-goverment, Govt to citizens, Govt to Govt, Govt to Business.

Section B

11. Market characteristics, product characteristics, service, buyer behaviour, channel, promotional, price. To explain each difference.
12. Environmental variables, organisational variables, buying centre variables, individual variables. To explain each.
13. The process of dividing a market into groups of customers who have similar requirements for a product or service offering. Consists of segmenting, deciding on target market and positioning. Bases: Macro variables – type of industry, company size, customer location, end use or application. Macro variables – buying situations, organisational capabilities, purchasing policies, personal characteristics. To explain each briefly.
14. Products become obsolete due to change in technology, change in customer preferences and choice, etc, If new products are not introduced, company will not grow. Process: Idea generation, idea screening, concept development and testing, business analysis, product development, market testing, commercialisation. To explain each.
15. Pricing objectives, demand analysis, cost analysis, competitive analysis, and Govt regulations. To explain each.

Section C

      Case study: Students to analyse case and give relevant answers with justifications.

 

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